That Trump Tower Meeting With Russians – Donald Trump KNEW

Well, it would appear Donald Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen has decided to go straight for the throat.

There really must have been something to those stories about Trump’s shabby treatment of him for all those years, because it now appears that he’s on a vendetta, from the release of the secret audio, to what we have this evening.

CNN is reporting that Cohen is prepared to wheel and deal with special counsel Robert Mueller. What he is ready to attest to is that the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr, various Trump campaign officials, and the Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya, happened with then-candidate Trump’s full knowledge and approval.

The meeting was set up, ostensibly, to gather dirt on Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The June 2016 meeting was arranged after a publicist who knew Trump Jr. told him in emails — in no uncertain terms — that a senior Russian official “offered to provide the Trump campaign” with damaging information about Clinton, and that the outreach was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” At the time, the Russian operation to covertly boost Trump’s candidacy wasn’t publicly known. Trump. Jr. responded, “if it’s what you say, I love it,” and started to arrange the meeting.

Trump Jr set up the meeting, and he, along with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort met with Veselnitskaya, an interpreter, and several Russia officials in what they later said turned out to be a talk about getting an adoption program for Americans looking to adopt Russian children reinstated.

As for the senior Trump, the claim was always that he was never informed of the meeting and knew nothing about it, until he was approached by the New York Times with the story in July 2017.

Cohen is calling shenanigans on that.

Cohen alleges that he was present, along with several others, when Trump was informed of the Russians’ offer by Trump Jr. By Cohen’s account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, according to sources.

This, apparently, was one of those meetings where Cohen did not have his secret recorder on, so he has nothing but his word on this. Still, he’s ready to go in and testify about what he knows.

After news of the meeting broke in July 2017, the Trump team offered misleading explanations and changed their story several times. But one claim stayed consistent: that Trump had no knowledge of the meeting beforehand, wasn’t told about it afterward and first learned about it one year later.

Trump Jr was adamant that his dad knew nothing about it, and even testified to that before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year.

“He wasn’t aware of it,” Trump Jr. told lawmakers, referring to his father’s knowledge of the meeting. “And, frankly, by the time anyone was aware of it, which was summer of this year, as I stated earlier, I wouldn’t have wanted to get him involved in it because it had nothing to do with him.”

It would appear Donald Trump Jr has more in common with his dad than just his adulteries.

Of course, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has his usual 2-cents worth to add.

Rudy Giuliani, the President’s attorney, said of Cohen, “He’s certainly a source that is not credible.”

Really?

Something about no honor among thieves comes to mind.

“Donald Trump Jr. has been professional and responsible throughout the Mueller and Congressional investigations,” said Alan Futerfas, an attorney for Donald Trump Jr. “We are very confident of the accuracy and reliability of the information that has been provided by Mr. Trump, Jr., and on his behalf.”

Ok. Sure.

Sources say Cohen is hoping giving this up and reaching out to Mueller will buy him the goodwill needed to get a break on the potential charges for wire and bank fraud, as well as campaign finance law violations.

To date, Cohen has only been investigated. He has yet to be officially charged.